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Driving Properly on Slippery Roads

Dangerous Roads Need to Be Minded!

In this modern day, people are very much into going somewhere. They have the mentality that they always need to move. Sometimes we are in a hurry or sometimes very busy, but we still have to slow down and stop some other time. The same idea goes with driving, and the slowing down helps a lot in a different weather conditions like snow, rain, and the most dangerous of all – ice.

Setting the speed limit is actually based on conditions that are needed to be considered for the safety of the road. A normal condition may have a higher speed limit compared to an icy weather because the cars need to be careful when driving in a slippery road. The drivers need an alert and focused mind when maintaining the control of the vehicle. Since, to keep the control maintained is better than needing to regain it.

A steady pace is one to remember when driving in slippery icy roads. When driving, the gradual hit of the accelerator, applying breaks, and steering are the things to consider because of the danger sliding wheels. In this kind of situation, one wrong move can mean skids. Breaks are not the only reasons of some slides of the vehicle; it can also be caused by sudden stirring of the wheel that may also lead to understeering of the vehicle, having a turned wheel but the car still moves straight forward.

Using our eyes, we should only look straightforward looking at the road. Red traffic lights or brake lights are signs that you need to slow down once you spot them, especially in a condition where the roads are slippery.

Black ice is one more problem that can be very hard to predict when to come. There are places to look where black ice normally forms and stay frozen even after the sun comes out including on and under bridge of shaded road surfaces, and they freeze here faster than any other areas. When faced with black shiny surfaces, you should avoid making sudden change in speed or direction and just keep the steady pace.

We can never say when we will experience sleds in driving, but when sliding and you are braking on slippery ice roads, let the wheels gain its ability to rotate again by letting go of the brake easily. Immediately look for open spaces and aim for that. Parking lot, driveway, or shoulder will do. Looking directly at the vehicle in front will surely make you end up there.

As I experienced when my dad was driving as a kid, stepping on the break to stop the sliding on a slippery road is achievable but it takes a long time to stop. Adding pressure to your brake makes it easier to stop, but you should to the adding of pressure earlier than the way you would add pressure on it when driving on a normal road surface. In doing so, the pressure will help in letting the wheels gain its ability to rotate and help the tires grip the road. Anti-lock brakes do not help a lot too in such situation because they have a hard time gripping. The key to safely stop when driving on an icy road is early brakes.